Winning the war against COVID-19 -- A piece of strategy inspired by Sun Tzu

SUN TZU - Has given many ideas to what a commander should be. After UN has declared the corona crisis as the biggest after World War 2 , world leaders must act swiftly and decisively. In this crucial times,  SUN TZU thoughts are relevant and will help to us navigate through this dark phase. We are at war with corona, let our commander be SUN TZU.

When you engage in actual fighting , if victory is long in coming , then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped .- Chaper 2

The war against COVID is long lasting. According to WHO it is here to stay. In such scenario we must device strategies to lessen the burden on already strained state resources. We must find innovative solutions and engage third parties like civil society to develop local action plans based on the severity and demographics.

If you know yourself but not the enemy , for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat . If you know neither the enemy nor yourself , you will succumb in every battle. - Chapter 3

Our enemy is an invisble force. We are still trying to understand how the virus spreads and how long it survives outside human body. This knowning the enemy is very key to devise strategies for comabt. For this collboration on a large scale should happen, transcending narrow barriers of nationalism. The earlier the knowledge of enemy, the easier the war.

Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow ; decision , to the releasing of a trigger - Chapter 5.

The spending of resources- the bailout packages to revive economies has been taken. The real impact of the decisons depend upon the implementation. Leaders and policy makers must brainstorm how the released money energises the economies and put them back on track.

After crossing a river , you should get far away from it . -Chapter 9

Many governments, after so called bending a curve are becoming lax. This is very dangerous as there can be a second wave just like what happened with Spanish flu. So, governments must remain vigil montoring the conditions in real time and be prepared for the second wave.



 COVID-19 is testing the human civilisation. We must not let the virus to win this war at any cost. This needs determination and serious policy from all parts of the world.